Castles in the Sand: First Halloween
by Crazedtroll
Summary: Harrison and Tess spend their first Halloween together. Will they make it through it unscathed or will their continued bad luck strike once more. Takes place within my Castles in the Sand universe.
1. Chapter 1

_**Greetings! This is another one of my Castles in the Sand stories which follows the relationship between Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan. I'm posting it on its own because it is set six months into their relationship and I haven't gotten that far with the Castles in the Sand stories I've posted under the title. So, I thought I'd post it alone. I only own the original characters and I make no monies from this. Questions, comments, concerns, let me know! Happy Halloween! - CT**_

 **First Halloween**

Autumn at the beach was perfection. At least, in the opinion of Harrison Wells, it was perfection. Grinning as he turned his face into the breeze, Harrison closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Letting the air out, he sighed and dropped his backpack onto the steps leading down to the beach. Following his bag, he sat on the top step, gazing out at the sand and waves. Leaning back he rested his weight on his hands, watching the kids tear down his latest sand castle creation. The roar of the waves played beautifully in his ears and the sun setting was better than any painting.

"I might have known I'd find you here," Tess Morgan said as she came up behind Harrison. Looking up and over his shoulder at her, Harrison smiled happily. Carefully, Tess dropped a white paper bag down next to Harrison's backpack.

"My day off," Harrison mused. Sitting up, he draped an arm around Tess's shoulders as she sat next to him, leaning into him against the chill brought by the breeze. "Nowhere else I'd rather be than here… 'cept maybe with you." It earned him a smile and they shared a kiss.

"You are a total romantic," Tess accused as they broke apart.

"Guilty. So, what's in the bag?"

"My Halloween costume," Tess declared. Arching an eyebrow, Harrison pulled the bag closer, peaking in at the black dress contained within.

"Oh, sexy," Harrison hummed. He waggled his eyebrows at her. It earned him a laugh from Tess. She leaned back, brushing his hair out of his face.

"You sure you want to do this?" It was a question Tess had been wanting to ask for a week now. She knew Harrison and she didn't want to mess up their relationship.

"Woman, don't you know by now that there's not much I'm not willing to do for you?" Harrison smiled boyishly, running a hand through his hair. "Sides, it sounds like fun." The wind picked up, blowing his hair and Tess's.

"Come on," Tess said, standing and offering him her hand. Smirking, Harrison took the hand and stood, dusting at sand on his legs. Stooping, he scooped up both his battered backpack and Tess's bag. "Why don't you replace that bag?" Tess asked as their fingers intertwined. He shrugged but remained silent. Slowly they strolled towards Harrison's apartment.

Much later Harrison steered his battered Toyota through the familiar parking lot. In the passenger seat next to him, Tess sighed and stretched. Seeing where they were, she smiled, reaching out and running a hand through Harrison's hair. After parking, Harrison got out and stretched. Leaning against the roof of the car, Harrison glanced over at Tess, hoping that no bad memories would encroach on the weekend.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Harrison asked, emphasizing "you."

"Yeah," Tess said. "Come on. Let's check in and get ready for the party." Patting Harrison on the back, Tess grabbed one bag and handed her boyfriend his. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, Harrison pulled Tess close and they strolled towards the entrance together.

They ended up getting the same room they had the last time they had stayed at the hotel. "Now, this is weird," Harrison said as he carried their bags inside. "What time do we have to be there?" Tossing the bags on the dresser, Harrison bounced on the bed. After a moment, he sprawled, stretching his long frame to its full length. Sighing, he lifted just his head and watched Tess wander around the room.

"In about an hour," Tess informed him. "This is so weird." Stretching her arms out, she allowed herself to fall forwards onto the bed, bouncing up and down next to Harrison. Their heads touched and Harrison turned his so he could face Tess. There was sadness in her eyes and he frowned, guessing what was going through her mind. Rolling onto his side, he reached out and cupped her cheek gently in his hand.

"Hey," he told her. "Beautiful, do we need to get a different room?"

"No," Tess said. "Come on. We need to get ready." Smiling, Tess stood and pulled Harrison to his feet. "I can't wait to see you in your outfit."

"And I can't wait to see you in that dress," Harrison countered. Chuckling, he chased her into the bathroom.

Half an hour later, they left the hotel. As they arrived at the house, Harrison offered his arm to Tess. "You look gorgeous, ravishing, you unhinge me," he told her as they mounted the steps and Tess rang the doorbell.

"Why my love, you are so romantic," Tess said with a coy smile. The door opened and Mrs. Sharon Morgan squealed in delight upon seeing her daughter.

"Tess! I'm so glad you made it!" Mrs. Morgan gave her daughter an exuberant hug. Pulling away from Tess, Mrs. Morgan looked her daughter up and down and then looked to the man next to her. "Oh, you brought a friend and you're matching!" Indeed they were matching. Dressed in a long black dress and black wig, Tess looked perfect on Harrison's arm, the dress curving in all the right places. In his chalk-stripe suit he looked handsome and dapper, his mustache carefully groomed and his hair meticulously brushed. They were a perfect Morticia and Gomez Addams.

Jessica Morgan, Tess's sister, stepped up behind Mrs. Morgan. "Oh, Tess. So good to see you," Jessica said, her voice filled with false sincerity. "Dr. Wells, nice to see you again. Cute costumes." Looking the couple up and down, Jessica sneered a little. "I almost didn't recognize you without your glasses and hat and with that mustache."

"Hello Ms. Morgan, Mrs. Morgan," Harrison said, bowing a little. "So lovely to see you under better circumstances." The first time Harrison had met Tess's family had been at the hospital the night Tess's father had died. It had also happened to be Harrison and Tess's first date. Much to Tess's amusement her mother and sister had decided that Harrison was gay.

"Yes, it is," Mrs. Morgan agreed. "I was sorry to hear your proposal didn't go well," she continued. At that moment another group was climbing the steps behind Harrison and Tess. A heavy hand fell on Harrison's shoulder and a man dressed as Prince Charming forced himself between the couple on the steps.

"Awe, did Tess tell you 'no'? She's always breaking hearts," the stranger said.

"Trent," Mrs. Morgan gushed. "No, no. Harrison didn't propose to Tess. He proposed to Hogan, his boyfriend."

"Oh." Prince Charming, or Trent, rapidly removed his arm from Harrison's shoulder and stepped away.

"Yeah. Hogan claims he's not the marrying type," Harrison said with a bright smile. Only Tess could tell that he wasn't pleased. Offering his hand to the stranger, he introduced himself, "Dr. Harrison Wells. I'm a friend of Tess's."

Looking at the hand, Trent didn't take it. "Trent Hills. Tess's high school sweetheart."

"Well, no questions why that didn't last," Harrison said, wrapping his arm around Tess and quickly guiding her inside. "Come along Morticia." The two vanished through the door, Tess giggling a little as Harrison whisked her away.

"I'm sorry about that," Tess said as Harrison dragged her over to a table of food.

"Don't worry about it," Harrison said. He turned to Tess. "I don't care if people think I'm gay. I'm not going to let it stop me from kissing and dancing with the most beautiful woman here. Querida." Grinning, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

Harrison Wells knew how to kiss. Tess always felt like the world had fallen away and it was just her and Harrison floating on a cloud when Harrison kissed her. She'd never told him this. At least, not in the six months they'd been dating. Now his kiss was helping reassure her that he was indeed happy to be there with her. As he dipped her to deepen the kiss Tess noticed a flash of light and a moment later someone was speaking. Returning Tess to her feet, Harrison broke the kiss thus returning them to the world. No longer hidden behind his glasses his bright blue eyes sparkled as he looked her up and down before turning his attention to the speaker.

"Goodness, you two certainly are staying in character," a small mousy woman was saying. She looked to be about their age with wild red hair and blue-gray eyes. She was dressed as a period accurate witch.

"Forgive us," Harrison replied. Instead of speaking, Tess gave a little shout and launched herself at the witch. The two hugged tightly laughing and speaking what Harrison would later describe as "best friend speak."

"Harrison," Tess began when the two finally broke apart, "Chloe. She's my best friend. Chloe, my boyfriend Dr. Harrison Wells."

"Only people I don't like call me Dr. Wells," Harrison declared offering his hand. Instead of taking it, Chloe took him in a surprisingly strong hug. When she let him go she was grinning widely, which lit her face up.

"I don't shake hands with people who make Tess as happy as you do," Chloe explained. An embarrassed blush coloured Harrison's face. "I've heard nothing about you but any idiot can see how good you two are together."

"Chloe and I were best friends all through high school," Tess explained.

"Sorry I missed your dad's funeral. I only got back about a week ago," Chloe informed Tess.

"I understand," Tess said with a shrug.

"So, is this a town Halloween party or a high school reunion?" Harrison asked. "And why did your mother answer the door?"

"Little bit of both," Chloe supplied. "And Mrs. Morgan has always answered the door. Story goes it started twenty years ago when Mr. Morgan was late getting here."

"Mom didn't stop answering the door until Dad arrived halfway through the party," Tess supplied.

"And whose house is this?" Harrison waved a hand at the massive home.

"It originally belonged to the town founder but now it belongs to the town," Chloe answered. She had an old fashioned broom and waved it about as she spoke. "So, really you don't have to knock, but people always do for some reason."

"The joys of growing up in a small town," Tess complained.

"So, silly question," Chloe piped up. "Why was your mother blathering on about Harrison's boyfriend when you two are together?" They had started wondering through the crowd.

"Because my mother is an idiot," Tess provided. "So is my sister." The couple had been holding hands the whole time. Several people were gawking at them. "Seems word has indeed gotten around," Tess observed. "I only came back because mother asked."

"She was probably hoping you'd bring somebody," Chloe guessed.

"I did." Tess gave Harrison's hand a little tug.

"I am certain that I am not who she was hoping for since she thinks Hogan and I are a couple," Harrison informed his girlfriend. "Honestly, I'm much happier dating you though." He grinned and leaned in for another kiss. Somebody ran into Harrison's shoulder, hard, pushing him away from Tess.

"Oh, so sorry," Trent said. He patted Harrison roughly on the back. "You should be careful. You two keep necking like you really are Morticia and Gomez and people will think you two are together."

"Not a concern of mine," Harrison said with a shrug. "Tess is pretty enough to turn any man's eyes."

"Come on Trent," a man dressed as Athos of the Three Musketeers, said. "Leave them alone." Another Musketeer stood behind the speaker. As the trio wandered off, Harrison shook his head.

"What is that guy's issue?" Harrison inquired. "Cause I think he just bruised my shoulder." Grumbling, he rolled his arm and rubbed at the spot where Trent had smashed into him.

"I dumped him right before prom," Tess said calmly.

"He didn't take it well," Chloe agreed. "Him and his two goons were total dicks to us for the rest of the school year."

"Thank goodness we didn't have much time left in the year," Tess agreed. "Anyhow, he never really got over it."

"Ah, he deserved it," Chloe shrugged. "So, how long are you two in town?"

"Tonight only," Tess said.

"We have to get back tomorrow cause we work Monday," Harrison informed her.

"Yeah, what is your doctorate for?"

"Which one?" Chloe didn't answer, instead staring at Harrison. Her eyes flicked to Tess as if asking her best friend if the man was serious.

"He's serious. Harrison has like ten different degrees," Tess said. Instead of speaking up, the man decided to get drinks for himself and Tess.

"Drink?" He handed a cup to Tess and one to Chloe as well. Picking one up for himself he sniffed at the cider before taking a sip. His behaviour just amused Tess. That was Harrison Wells, less interested in talking about himself and more interested in exploring the world.

The trio scanned the crowd while they sipped their drinks. There were all sorts of activities, including bobbing for apples, dancing, making caramel apples, and plenty of photo ops. Everyone in the crowd was decked out in some sort of costume. Harrison and Tess received several compliments on their costumes and even posed for pictures with some people. Eventually they were cornered by Tess's mother.

"Harrison, dear, where's Hogan tonight?" Sharon Morgan seemed to be stuck in one gear, which was to interfere with Harrison's night. Sighing, Harrison watched Tess escape her mother by running off to talk to an old friend. He wasn't angry at her for leaving him. At least she was getting away.

"Not sure. Maybe playing guardian over Lani. She's working at the bar tonight so…" Harrison shrugged his shoulders. Mrs. Morgan was getting ready to respond when a tango started to play. Arching an eyebrow, Harrison stepped past her as Tess whirled to face him.

"Excuse me Mrs. Morgan. I must dance." With a gleeful smile, Harrison stalked towards Tess and soon the two embraced with a flourish worthy of Gomez and Morticia Addams. They happily danced through the song, quickly becoming the center of attention on the dance floor. When the song ended they were both breathing heavily and couldn't help but kiss. As they broke apart and stood nearly everyone applauded.

"Tess, that was amazing," Chloe said as Harrison and Tess exited the dance floor. "You two make a handsome couple."

"Thank you," Tess smiled at her best friend.

"Hey, I'm going to go get some air," Harrison said, loosening his tie a little.

"Okay. I'll be here with Chloe," Tess said. She reached out and gave Harrison's hand a squeeze before letting him slip out the doors.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Greetings! Welcome to part 2 of Harrison and Tess's first a discussion with DoctorHarrisonWells I made a few edits and am re-posting this chapter. Let me know if it works better. For now I'm calling this story complete with this chapter. If anyone feels I need to continue, let me know. I do have a few ideas for the next part. Thanks! -CT**_

Chapter 2

Sighing, Harrison leaned against a railing, taking in breaths of the cool night air. He wasn't a big fan of Tess's home town, but it had been easy to tell that Tess wanted them to come to the party. Who was he to say 'no' to the woman of his dreams? Smiling, he shook his head and pulled out the cigar he'd brought as part of his costume. While he had no intention of smoking it, he wanted something to do with his hands. Spinning the cigar between his fingers he studied the night sky. For several minutes he satisfied himself with star gazing and spinning the cigar while he cooled down.

Feeling more comfortable, he turned to head back inside and ran smack into someone. Before he could apologize the person was kissing him, hard. Grumbling in his throat, he tried to push the person away, his hands coming up against a strong male chest. A shout reached his ears and somebody was grabbing him by his shoulders. Unable to fight against both men, he could tell they were men, Harrison found himself being thrown down the stairs. As he hit the ground he cried out, his ankle twisting painfully.

Somebody dragged him to his feet. Harrison had a moment to catch his breath before somebody punched him soundly in the gut. Doubling over in pain, Harrison caught a glimpse of Trent before a fist forced his eyes shut. He was outnumbered, caught by surprise, and generally, not a fighter. Harrison usually did all his fighting with his mind. Sure, he might have been able to land a punch or two, but he counted at least two guys wailing on him, possibly three. A scream broke through his pain filled mind and a moment later somebody was helping him.

Staggering away from the circle of pain he'd been caught inside of, Harrison wiped blood from his face and stared in amazement as little mousy Chloe beat the crap out of his attackers using her broom. She'd pulled the head off and was using it as a staff, rapidly spinning and jabbing with it to land painful sounding blows. Now Harrison had time to get his bearings and count five attackers. One was definitely Trent.

Tess's former love interest was getting ready to attack her best friend from behind, with a knife. Seeing it, Harrison launched himself at the man, ending up back in the thick of the fight. With Chloe at his side, he did better, managing to land several good punches. It was starting to look like they were evenly matched, five to Harrison and Chloe's two when a gunshot sounded. Everyone froze.

Standing at the top of the stairs leading into the courtyard was a man dressed like he'd stepped out of a western. On his vest he wore a rather modern looking star. "That's enough," the man declared.

"Sheriff, we were attacked," Trent declared.

"Liar," Chloe spat out. Blinking rapidly, Harrison tried to follow what was happening. Adrenaline was racing through his system but it was slowly burning off, leaving him painfully aware of injuries he'd not realized he had.

"Everyone, up against that wall, hands and feet spread," the sheriff declared. There was some general grumbling. Not wanting to cause any trouble, Harrison tried to turn and do as he was told. When he went to put weight on his left ankle, it gave out and he dropped to the ground.

"Get up Gomez," the sheriff ordered.

"Sorry," Harrison mumbled, rolling and trying to get up. He was very much aware of the man standing near him with the gun. Guns were uninteresting to Harrison, barbaric really. "My ankle." He struggled to his feet only to have the foot give out again. This time he managed an awkward kind of hop. Everyone else had started for the wall. Stopping, Chloe came back to help Harrison. With her help he hopped to the wall and glancing over his shoulder, did as he was told.

There were several minutes where the sheriff simply watched them. It turned out they were waiting for deputies. As soon as the reinforcements arrived the entire group was handcuffed and hauled off to the sheriff's office and jail.

The jail wasn't big enough for all of them. Harrison and Chloe ended up in an unused office, their hands cuffed behind their backs. Nobody seemed to care that Harrison was injured, not did they ask him if he needed any assistance. For a while Chloe sat and gazed out into the office. For his part, Harrison turned his mind to more interesting things, like science. He wasn't sure how long he managed to lose himself to his thoughts before Chloe turned her intense gaze to him. Realizing she was staring at him, Harrison blinked and sat up a little wincing at a pain in his side.

"Something wrong?"

"You're bleeding," Chloe pointed out. Looking down at himself, Harrison hummed as he realized that the white stripes on his suit were slowly turning red on the left side of his abdomen. Harrison quickly did a self diagnosis, letting the pain through the mental barriers he'd thrown up as the adrenaline had started to wear off.

"Would you look at that," Harrison mused. "You don't happen to have a hair pin we could get?"

"You'll have to pull it out with your teeth," Chloe declared. At Harrison's agreeable nod she stood and came over to sit near Harrison. Leaning in, she presented her left temple to him so that Harrison could see the hairpin and grasp it with his teeth.

"Got it," he said around the pin between his teeth. Pulling away from Chloe, he turned his head and dropped the pin onto the chair next to his thigh. With some shifting he managed to get it into his hand. Smiling a little, he was enjoying the physical challenge, he focused on working through his sense of touch.

"You can't pick real handcuffs with a hairpin," Chloe informed him. Instead of answering Harrison just hummed to himself.

"Gotcha," he declared a moment later as the cuffs clicked and he freed himself. Stretching his arms out, he worked to get the circulation back to his hands. "Come here." Knowing his leg wouldn't hold him, he motioned Chloe over.

"You are amazing. No wonder Tess is in love with you," Chloe said as she came over.

"I don't know about that," Harrison said, focusing more on the job at hand than the conversation. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"My dad," Chloe said. Looking over her shoulder at him, she was amused with the way he was handling the situation. There came a click and clink as the cuffs released from her wrists and dropped to the floor. Turning, Chloe was amused to see Harrison already moving on to taking care of himself. "I've called him. He used to be sheriff till the idiot over there took over. Numbnuts went to school with Trent and the others."

Sitting back, Harrison was carefully unbuttoning his suit coat and shirt to see where the bleeding was coming from. He'd taken something that looked like a large wallet out of the inside of his coat and was leaning back against the bench. Chloe watched, taking out her camera and began snapping pictures. "Doesn't sound good for us. What are you doing?" Harrison asked, not looking up. He had found the source of the blood. "Man, looks like one of them slashed me. How ironic is that. Happy Halloween, have a slashing abdominal wound."

"I'm documenting," Chloe declared. "What are you doing?"

"I'm a doctor. I'm treating a patient," Harrison said, his chin to his chest to hold his shirt clear of the wound and also so he could get a better look at it. While he probed the wound with one hand he opened the wallet looking thing with the other.

"What is that?"

"Suture kit."

"You carry a suture kit with you?"

"I'm dating Tess. I learned after our second date it was good to be a little prepared for the worst." While he talked Harrison started cleaning the wound the best he could with an alcohol swab from his kit. When he was done with that he pulled out the needle and silk and started stitching himself up.

"What in the hell," this was the sheriff. Apparently he'd noticed that his prisoners were no longer handcuffed and had come in to investigate. Chloe snapped a picture of him as he angrily stalked into the room.

"Hey Sheriff, come on it. Just needed a little medical attention," Harrison said. He stayed focused on his wound which seemed to upset the sheriff.

"You can't do that!" The sheriff didn't seem to know what else to say.

"Yeah, well if you'd bothered to ask if we needed medical attention, or even talk to us at all, I wouldn't have to do this. As it is, the bleeding didn't stop so I had to stitch it up. Plus, yes, I can do this. See, I'm doing this." Grinning, Harrison smiled brightly up at the sheriff as he paused mid-stitch.

"Harrison!" Tess's voice carried into the room. She had been trying to get in to see her boyfriend for hours. The sheriff had finally agreed to let her speak to Harrison but had insisted she wait out front. Tess wasn't always good with following orders. Hearing the sheriff's shout she'd followed him in and seen Harrison stitching himself up. A number of other people had followed her as well, so the office was rapidly becoming chaos as more people entered and several flashes went off as photos were taken of the sheriff yelling at a prisoner for stitching himself up.

"Hey, Tess!" Harrison cheerfully waved with his free hand. "Can you come give me a hand?" Nodding, Tess rushed to the room, pushing past the sheriff and immediately going to her boyfriend's aid. The sheriff stood there for a moment looking like he'd been caught in headlights, his eyes darting around taking in all the media people. There were even people from the other county. Tess only had eyes for Harrison.

"Harrison, you look awful," Tess said as she studied his bruised and bloodied face.

"You should see what Chloe did to the other guys. Man, she knows how to dispense some serious butt kickings." Harrison grinned at the woman in question. "Oh, yeah, thanks for saving my life."

"No problem," Chloe grinned.

"Harrison, what the hell happened?"

"I don't know. I was getting ready to head back inside when I bumped into somebody. He started kissing me and the next thing I know a bunch of guys including Trent are beating the crap out of me. Threw me down the steps too." He finished with the stitches and with Tess's help got everything put away.

"I think that's the worst of it," Harrison said. "What's going on anyhow?"

"Sheriff isn't going to let anybody go until he can get to the bottom of this. Seems Trent and his guys are claiming you tried to rape one of them." Tess glowered at the sheriff, who had left to try to deal with the media people who had followed the female scientist inside.

"Bullshit," Harrison grumbled. "Jesus, the intellect of this sheriff we could be here for a year!"

"I know. It doesn't help that the sheriff went to school with Trent and the others. I'm afraid he's going to spin it to work in their favour. So, I called Hogan and asked him to call work for us tomorrow," Tess agreed.

"Wait, you called Hogan?" Harrison reached out taking Tess's hand. She nodded, looking confused. "Did you tell him I got beat up?"

"And arrested, yeah," Tess agreed. She could tell by Harrison's look that something serious was going to happen.

"How long ago was that?"

"An hour? Maybe two? Why?" A bellow sounded from the other room.

"Cause knowing Hogan he hopped the first plane he could get to the closest airport and drove the rest of the way," Harrison said. As he spoke another bellow sounded.

"Who is in charge here!" Forcing his way through the crowd was a huge man dressed in a smart looking three piece suit. His dark hair was brushed back and his caramel coloured skin almost seemed to glow in the lights of the station. "I need whoever is in charge here to take me to Dr. Harrison G. Wells now."

"Hogan, we're in here!" Tess called, poking her head out the door. Harrison waved through the office window, looking more like a child waving excitedly at a parent than a grown man to a friend. Seeing them, the giant man nodded and headed their way the sheriff scampering along behind.

"Now see here," the sheriff began, getting in front of Hogan and blocking the door.

"No, you see here. Alika Hogan, Dr. Wells's attorney. What have you charged my client with? Why is he being held? Have you gotten him medical attention?" With each question Hogan shoved a massive finger into the sheriff's chest and took a step forwards.

"Uhm," managed the sheriff.

"Doc, you okay? I came as soon as Tess called." Plowing forwards like the unstoppable force he was, Hogan was quickly at Harrison's side. "Damn doc, you stitch yourself up now?"

"I didn't have a choice Hogan. Bleeding wouldn't stop, sheriff wouldn't talk to us." Harrison shrugged, apparently more amused than anything else.

"You need to go to hospital, Doc?" Alika Hogan owned the building where Harrison lived. To say he was a teddy bear of a man didn't cover it. He was the kind of friend you wanted always on your side. With his massive size he was intimidating and he knew it. He looked out for those he called friends.

"No Hogan. Thanks. What I could use is a hot shower, some fresh clothes, and probably about eight hours of sleep," Harrison said.

"Might want some pain meds," Chloe suggested. She was messing around at the computer on the desk.

"No," Tess, Hogan, and Harrison all spoke in unison.

"Okay Doc, let's get you back to the hotel. Can you walk?" Hogan was studying Harrison intently, trying to decide if he was going to take the doctor for his word.

"Not really," Harrison answered honestly. "Sprained my ankle taking a tumble down some stairs."

"That's okay. I got this." Using a gentleness one wouldn't expect in a man Hogan's size, the behemoth slipped an arm under Harrison's legs and wrapped the other under his arms. Standing easily, Hogan turned towards the sheriff. The big man towered over the small time law enforcement officer. With a scowl, he focused his dark eyes on the sheriff.

"My client will be leaving unless you want to charge him with something," Hogan declared.

"Uhm," squeaked the sheriff.

"He won't be charging us with anything," Chloe said with a cockiness Harrison certainly wasn't feeling. She was leaning back in the chair in front of the computer, feet up on the desk. "Cause I have all the evidence he needs." Clicking something with the mouse, she grinned as the sounds of the party filtered into the room. "I have it all recorded."

Curious, the sheriff came over to stand next to Chloe. As he did the sounds changed to that of a fight. "Where did you get this?" The sheriff asked as he watched what was apparently video from the night.

"I've been fiddling with miniaturization," Chloe said. "Put a camera in my necklace." She held out the large pendent she had been wearing. "Didn't know there was going to be a fight but thought it would be fun to document the night."

"I see. Can you take that back again please?" Kneeling next to Chloe, the sheriff was now intently watching the video. He watched the video for several moments, glancing up and looking out at the media in the intermediate office a few times.

"See, proof we didn't start it," Chloe declared. "Shall I publicly share it? Will that help you make a decision?" Chloe was grinning like a cat with catnip.

The sheriff looked around, glanced at the computer and sighed. After a moment he stood. "Dr. Wells, you're free to go. My apologies for the misunderstanding. If there is anything I can do for you to make your stay here in our little town better, just let me know."

"I just want to get the hell back to the hotel," Harrison said.

"I'll make sure you make it there without any issues," the sheriff declared. Standing, he led the way out of the room and through the crowd. Hogan carrying Harrison followed with Tess only a few steps behind.

"Tess," Chloe called out before her friend made it to the crowd. "I like him. He's a keeper. His boyfriend too."

"Aren't they great?" The women shared a knowing smile and nod and then Tess followed after Harrison and Hogan.


End file.
